Cemetery to host Memorial Day program

The Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery will host its Memorial Day Program at 11 a.m. May 28. 

Louisiana Department of Veteran’s Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland will be the keynote speaker.

“We will gather to remember America’s sons and daughters who sacrificed everything in the defense of our nation,” Strickland said. “This, however, is not a day for celebration. It is a day for reflection and remembrance. 

“We want to not only reflect on the lives of the fallen, but honor, in some small way, the families who were affected when a son or daughter, mother or father, or a sibling was killed in action.

“Neither a perfectly folded flag nor the piercing sound of rifle fire can begin to address such a loss. On Memorial Day, though, we as a nation can try to say thank you. We can pause, if only for a few moments, to remember both the spirit and the act of sacrifice, for we are a country that was made on such sacrifice.

“On this sacred day, we’d like to remind you of President Lincoln’s words, ‘we honor America’s fallen patriots by striving to be worthy of their great sacrifices as we all work toward making a better future for all mankind’.”

In addition to remembering those who have given their life for their country, the day will also offer a chance for the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce to unveil the funeral pavilion enclosure which was a massively successful community fundraising effort that makes all of us proud to be in Richland Parish.

“We’re just proud to have provided something good for our veterans and their families,” chamber president Scott Franklin said. “Beyond the structure itself, this whole process was a great example of why Richland Parish is such a wonderful community of patriotic and philanthropic people.  The Richland Chamber, along with the help of the VFW and the American Legion, worked very hard to bring this project to fruition.  We are so happy and thankful that it was a success.”

Franklin added the veterans cemetery is a tribute not only to the men and women who served their country, but also to the spirit of northeast Louisiana itself and the people who live here.

“The Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery is the shining star of not only Richland Parish, but for all of north Louisiana” Franklin said. “The history of its inception and continued success is a story about a very special part of the world that refused to take no for an answer.  We should all be proud of how Northeast Louisiana has embraced the cemetery as hallowed ground.”

Richland Today

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Rayville, LA 71269
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